Cheryl Philson-Williams (right) sings with the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church choir during the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention at the Shreveport Convention Center.

Written by

Profits and deficits aren't so important for convention centers - the name of the game is multiplication.

"The convention center business model is unlike any other model in that it is an economic generator, an economic engine. What I mean by that is it makes money for everyone but itself," Shreveport Convention Center general manager Sam Voisin said. "In a traditional business model, you have a profit and a loss. In the convention center model, you have a loss, but the profit is outside of the walls."

More than 2 million people have walked through the doors of the Shreveport Convention Center ...